Ships of the desert dock at Pushkar Camel Fair

Pushkar is a small town near the city of Ajmer in Rajasthan. Renowned for its temple to Brahma, the Creator in the Hindu trinity, the town of temples and bathing ghats encircles a placid, scenic lake. Though Pushkar draws pilgrims year-round, it is in November every year that its character changes. Camel herders and traders arrive from all over Rajasthan to the much celebrated Pushkar Camel Fair. Along with them come droves of tourists, photographers, hippies, holidaymakers and tourists of other stripes.

This year, the fair was held from November 9-17. Nearly 50,000 camels converged in the wintry sunshine at this small desert town. They are spruced up, shaved, cleaned, decked up in colourful trappings, and entered into beauty contests. There are camel races, and dances and parades. Traders bid for the beasts and they change hands. Alongside the main attraction, the atmosphere is of a carnival. There are ferris wheels, performers, snake charmers, dancers, acrobats and musicians.

Enjoy these images from our Flickr photographers. To have your photograph added to this list, simply add them to our Flickr group with the tag "Pushkar Camel Fair" (don't forget the quotes).